Art on the road

'Public painting' a visual buffer

Updated 10:01 am, Monday, May 13, 2013

Photo: Darren Abate, Darren Abate/Express-News

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A motorist travels past a portion of an art installation by Mark Schlesinger on a bridge near Mud Creek Park, on Jones-Maltsberger Rd., Thursday, May 2, 2013, in Northeast San Antonio. The entire installation runs along 1.2 miles of roadway and pedestrian walkways. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

A motorist travels past a portion of an art installation by Mark Schlesinger on a bridge near Mud Creek Park, on Jones-Maltsberger Rd., Thursday, May 2, 2013, in Northeast San Antonio. The entire installation

Artist Mark Schlesinger shows natural wood textures that were incorporated into colored concrete as part of his art installation on Jones-Maltsberger Rd., between Thousand Oaks and Redland Rd., Thursday, May 2, 2013, in Northeast San Antonio. The entire installation runs along 1.2 miles of roadway and pedestrian walkways. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Artist Mark Schlesinger shows natural wood textures that were incorporated into colored concrete as part of his art installation on Jones-Maltsberger Rd., between Thousand Oaks and Redland Rd., Thursday, May 2,

Detail of a portion of an art installation by Mark Schlesinger on Jones-Maltsberger Rd., between Thousand Oaks and Redland Rd., Thursday, May 2, 2013, in Northeast San Antonio. The entire installation runs along 1.2 miles of roadway and pedestrian walkways. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Detail of a portion of an art installation by Mark Schlesinger on Jones-Maltsberger Rd., between Thousand Oaks and Redland Rd., Thursday, May 2, 2013, in Northeast San Antonio. The entire installation runs

Detail of a portion of an art installation by Mark Schlesinger on Jones-Maltsberger Rd., between Thousand Oaks and Redland Rd., Thursday, May 2, 2013, in Northeast San Antonio. The entire installation runs along 1.2 miles of roadway and pedestrian walkways. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Detail of a portion of an art installation by Mark Schlesinger on Jones-Maltsberger Rd., between Thousand Oaks and Redland Rd., Thursday, May 2, 2013, in Northeast San Antonio. The entire installation runs

Detail of a portion of an art installation by Mark Schlesinger on Jones-Maltsberger Rd., between Thousand Oaks and Redland Rd., Thursday, May 2, 2013, in Northeast San Antonio. The entire installation runs along 1.2 miles of roadway and pedestrian walkways. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Detail of a portion of an art installation by Mark Schlesinger on Jones-Maltsberger Rd., between Thousand Oaks and Redland Rd., Thursday, May 2, 2013, in Northeast San Antonio. The entire installation runs

Motorists travel past a portion of an art installation by Mark Schlesinger in the 16100-block of Jones-Maltsberger Rd., Thursday, May 2, 2013, in Northeast San Antonio. The entire installation runs along 1.2 miles of roadway and pedestrian walkways. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Motorists travel past a portion of an art installation by Mark Schlesinger in the 16100-block of Jones-Maltsberger Rd., Thursday, May 2, 2013, in Northeast San Antonio. The entire installation runs along 1.2

Artist Mark Schlesinger is currently working on a public art project for the city. He is painting sidewalks, a bridge, utility covers, guard rails, medians etc. along the 2.4 mile stretch between Thousand Oaks and Redland. When he is done Schlesinger says he will have created the world's largest painting.

Artist Mark Schlesinger is currently working on a public art project for the city. He is painting sidewalks, a bridge, utility covers, guard rails, medians etc. along the 2.4 mile stretch between Thousand Oaks

Artist Mark Schlesinger is currently working on a public art project for the city. He is painting sidewalks, a bridge, utility covers, guard rails, medians etc. along the 2.4 mile stretch between Thousand Oaks and Redland. When he is done Schlesinger says he will have created the world's largest painting.

Artist Mark Schlesinger is currently working on a public art project for the city. He is painting sidewalks, a bridge, utility covers, guard rails, medians etc. along the 2.4 mile stretch between Thousand Oaks

Mark Schlesinger is one of two artists commissioned to create public art for Phase 1 of the Mission Reach. BILLY CALZADA / EXPRESS-NEWS

Mark Schlesinger is one of two artists commissioned to create public art for Phase 1 of the Mission Reach. BILLY CALZADA / EXPRESS-NEWS

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Mark Schlesinger tied the river environment to his bridge art through color and light for Phase 1 of the Mission Reach. BILLY CALZADA / EXPRESS-NEWS

Mark Schlesinger tied the river environment to his bridge art through color and light for Phase 1 of the Mission Reach. BILLY CALZADA / EXPRESS-NEWS

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Mark Schlesinger stands by his artwork titled "UP on the ON," a public art project on the footbridge in the Mission Reach Ecosystem Restoration and Recreation Project. BILLY CALZADA / EXPRESS-NEWS

Mark Schlesinger stands by his artwork titled "UP on the ON," a public art project on the footbridge in the Mission Reach Ecosystem Restoration and Recreation Project. BILLY CALZADA / EXPRESS-NEWS

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Art on the road

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When Public Art San Antonio commissioned artist Mark Schlesinger to work on the 1.2-mile Jones Maltsberger street expansion project in the spring of 2009, he had nearly finished painting the Ninth Street underpass on the Museum Reach of the River Walk.

“I remember thinking that, as Ninth Street had participant viewers passing under a painting that was 110 feet wide and 45 feet long, what could be done to a 1.2-mile street that would be interesting and revealing to viewers walking, running, biking over the painting or even driving through it in a car?” Schlesinger said.

His answer is “Along Here and There.” Schlesinger describes the recently completed project on the stretch of Jones Maltsberger Road between Thousand Oaks Drive and Redland Road that runs past Mud Creek Park as a “public painting.” It features a series of interrelated abstract compositions of diagonal lines and polygons in an earthy palette of browns, golden yellow and minty green. In addition, the design includes utility covers, retaining walls, accessibility ramps, guard rails and central turning medians.

PASA manager James LeFlore, who works with the city's Department for Culture and Creative Development, sees the work as a visual buffer for hikers, joggers and bicyclists in the area.

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“You can concentrate on the changing artscape of seeing the color patterns in the sidewalks, seeing something different happening on the concrete retaining wall, being able to see the medians are coming up and they're different each time or the rails are coming up and they're different,” he said. “You can create a focus for at least stretches of time that help you tune out the fact that you're basically not taking a lap around the park, but you're having a very one-of-a-kind experience on an arterial roadway.”